SHERIDAN, WYOMING – November 10, 2024 – In the intricate world of healthcare, ensuring the safety and efficacy of medical products is paramount. Cardinal Health, a leading healthcare services company, plays a critical role in this process through its specialized handling capabilities, including cold storage and chemical vaults. These capabilities safeguard the integrity of life-saving medicines and medical products, from the moment they leave the manufacturer to their arrival at healthcare facilities.
The Growing Importance of Specialized Handling
The demand for specialized handling is on the rise, fueled by advancements in biopharmaceuticals, the need for global vaccine distribution, precision medicine, research requirements, and evolving healthcare delivery models. Thousands of medical products, including vaccines, insulin, biopharmaceuticals, and medical devices, require specific storage and shipping conditions to maintain their effectiveness.
"For healthcare providers, choosing a trusted distribution partner with robust specialized handling capabilities means that vaccines can be administered with confidence, lab diagnostic tests are reliable, and medical treatments are safe and effective," Cardinal Health states.
Cardinal Health's Extensive Infrastructure
Cardinal Health's distribution centers (DCs) boast hundreds of thousands of square feet dedicated to specialized handling infrastructure. This includes:
Chemical vaults: Secure storage for flammable and combustible liquids.
Temperature-controlled rooms: Ambient rooms, walk-in refrigeration, and freezers maintain precise temperature ranges for various medical products.
Deep and ultra-frozen storage: Capabilities for storing vaccines and other temperature-sensitive products at extremely low temperatures.
"Cardinal Health’s 25 DCs dedicated to pharmaceutical distribution support next-day deliveries of products with specialized handling needs," the company says. "This is also true for our U.S. Medical Products and Distribution (U.S. MPD) business, as 28 of our 34 DCs support specialized handling. This market coverage maximizes the business’s ability for next-day deliveries of products with unique handling needs."
Upholding Confidence and Trust
Cardinal Health has earned the trust of its customers through its expertise in quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and robust market coverage. This trust is essential for healthcare providers who rely on Cardinal Health to deliver critical medical products.
Keegan Chamberlain, Director of Global Logistics, Quality & Regulatory Affairs for Cardinal Health, shares a personal story that highlights the importance of this trust. When his daughter required nightly dialysis, Cardinal Health's specialized handling capabilities ensured the safe delivery of temperature-sensitive renal dialysis solution to his home.
"Cardinal Health’s specialized handling capabilities were absolutely critical to our daughter’s health,” Chamberlain said. “Our experience has given my role supporting quality and regulatory compliance across the organization special meaning.”
Precision, Scale, and Security
Cardinal Health's commitment to precision and scale ensures that customers receive the right products at the right time. The company's quality team meticulously evaluates each product for unique handling requirements, ensuring that storage, transportation, and safety protocols are met.
"Cardinal Health can be a single source of medical products for all our customers’ needs,” said James Sembrot, SVP, Supply Chain for U.S. MPD. “We handle all of the complexity so that our customers don’t have to – which means they can focus more of their time on patient care.”
Enhanced security measures are in place to protect employees and maintain product integrity. Chemical vaults are separated from the rest of the warehouse and include fire-resistant racking and air-exchange units.
Meeting the Growing Need for Cold Chain
The demand for cold chain capabilities is increasing, driven by the development of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Cardinal Health is expanding its cold chain infrastructure to meet this need.
"As more temperature-sensitive products are developed for prevention and treatment, we recognize that our customers will seek cold chain capabilities to ensure the safe handling and distribution of these products for their patients,” said Jamie Barker, SVP of Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical Supply Chain. “We remain committed to the integrity of our supply chain and patient safety, and continue to expand our cold-chain capabilities.”
3PL Services for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Cardinal Health also offers third-party logistics (3PL) services for pharmaceutical manufacturers, managing the complexities of distribution so manufacturers can focus on developing and producing life-saving medications.